Tate’s Entrepreneur Named Woman Of The Year

On Monday the Pioneer Chapter of Hadassah in Westhampton, a Jewish woman's organization, honored accomplished Hamptonite Kathleen King Friedman, the owner and founder of and author of the book Tates Bake Shop Cookbook, as their “Woman of the Year” at their annual fundraiser luncheon.

King, who was born and raised in Southampton, made her first foray into baking at the age at 11 by selling cookies at her family’s farmstand. Her original chocolate chip cookie recipe came from the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag, and over time, it developed into the delicious treat that it is today. “I always baked a little more recklessly than the recipe said, and over time it evolved into my own recipe,” she explained.

In 1980, King turned her passion for baking into a career, and opened her first bakery called Kathleen’s Bake Shop; however, a bad business decision lead to her losing her brand. “I started my business very young and I made a poor business decision,” King explained. “I lost everything. I had to start completely over again from scratch, but I was able to come back and create the national brand I have today.”

Eleven years ago, King started , which has grown astronomically and become wildly successful. Her cookies are sold in 5,000 specialty stores nationwide, and chef and talk show host Rachel Ray named her chocolate chip cookie the “Best Cookie in America.” “It was always my goal to make the best cookie in America,” said King of the honor bestowed upon her by Ray.

After having failed in one business endeavor, and succeeded in another, King has come a long way, and has never forgotten those who were there for her, both at her highest highs, and lowest lows.

“I feel very, very loyal to the community and I give back as much as I can because the community really protected me and supported me in my most difficult time,” King said. “That’s something I’ll never forget. I look at everyone as if they were someone who helped me.”

Though she supports many local organizations, the Peconic Land Trust is particularly important to King, she said, because it helps to preserve open space and what she referred to as the “integrity of the Hamptons.”

King said that upon learning the Hadassah had named her “Woman of the Year” she was surprised and honored. She said she views Tate’s Bake Shop as her sort of “rise from the ashes,” and much can be learned from her trials and tribulations as an entrepreneur. “I want to send the message that you keep putting one foot in front of the other, and when you fall down, you get back up,” King said. “I learned to have confidence in who I am, and that I’m a survivor and can make it.”